Gaining weight for no reason?

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anniecate747
anniecate747 Posts: 19 Member
in Motivation and Support
I am 5' 6'' and weighed 187 when I started dieting in December. I got down to 164.8 last week which was AMAZING. I had been logging calories by hand, and THEN I got on here and started this program last week and have been doing EVERYTHING right and even exercising MORE. I have GAINED 3 pounds since last week and feel devastated. I was expecting to step on the scale and see 162 or so since I have gone UNDER my recommended of 1320 (I have an active job). I have NO idea why this is happening and I feel like crying :'(

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  • swim777
    swim777 Posts: 599 Member
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    If you are weighing your food and logging, it’s probably water weight, especially if your exercise has changed. Give it another week. See what happens.
  • DebLaBounty
    DebLaBounty Posts: 1,172 Member
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    Well, it could be water retention if you're consuming some more salt or about to start your period. Weight just goes up and down, that's the way it is. It could be that since you started working out more, you're retaining more water. Hard to say. Just keep drinking water, and logging as accurately as you can. If you have an I-phone, download the Happy Scale app and input your daily weight. You'll see that it will provide you with a weight loss graph. It's very motivating and satisfying to see that there is still a downward trend even if every week doesn't show a significant improvement. Honestly, you are doing great! You're averaging a loss of around 1.5 pounds per week, which is amazing!! Hang in there, keep doing what you're successfully doing, and you'll be fine.
  • PixelPuff
    PixelPuff Posts: 901 Member
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    If it helps, I bump up 5lbs overnight right before my cycle. It stays until the day before I end... And all drops off again overnight.

    Bloated af.

    Give it another week and see if it changes. Lots of things affect our weight, you should know by now that it isn't linear when losing. Half of this is remembering to take a deep breath, keep goin', and just keep your eye on the overall trend. <3
  • finesseyourgoals
    finesseyourgoals Posts: 11 Member
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    It might honestly just be water! Don’t feel too down about it. Whenever I’m sick my body retains atleast 3 lbs of water weight and when my body is done being sick I drop back down to my normal weigh. Like the other poster said, if you’re doing everything correctly and when your food etc. then it’s probably water weight.
  • theabsentmindednurse
    theabsentmindednurse Posts: 405 Member
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    Are you weighing and measuring everything you eat and drink accurately.
    Also eating UNDER your alloted daily caloric allowance could be the key.
    Eating too little is counter productive.
    This journey takes time.
    Weight WILL fluctuate.

    It is a good idea to take regular photos and measurements as way of recording your progress. The scales can not measure redistribution of fat/water and muscle.

    THIS IS A MARATHON NOT A SPRINT!
    Give it time and trust the process!
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Water weight
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Learn about water weight fluctuations.
  • bonniephobia
    bonniephobia Posts: 6 Member
    edited March 2018
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    Make sure you keep track of your menstrual cycle. I only weigh myself once a month and only after my period, because it's the most accurate weight I'll get. About two weeks before my period I'm 1kg heavier because of water retention.

    If that's not the case with you, it could be for two reasons: either you are gaining from supplements (that's why I don't take them EVER) or it might look like you are gaining because of water retention in muscles due to strains and tears post exercise. You might find this article helpful

    "Water Weight When You're Muscle Building
    Water retention may be one of the reasons the number on the scale is going up instead of down when you're building muscle. Lifting weights strains and tears your muscles, creating an injury. The muscle soreness you feel a day or two after a strength-training day is part of the healing process. In addition to the "feel good" pain, your muscles may also swell with fluid. Those extra pounds may just be water trapped in your sore muscles, and it may hang around for up to 10 days.

    If you're working out to lose weight, you might find the soreness and the added pounds discouraging. But the only way to get over the pain, and lose the weight, is to continue to work those muscles."

    https://www.livestrong.com/article/392136-can-gaining-muscle-make-you-gain-weight/
  • anniecate747
    anniecate747 Posts: 19 Member
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    Thank you all SO MUCH! I was feeling SO down yesterday, but all of this has helped a lot <3 . I am a Massage Therapist, and I drink TONS of water (probably around 20 cups) throughout the day, and I had just gotten off work when I weighed myself. I should probably have just waited until this morning, but to be honest with you all, I was just super excited to see if I had lost since I did so well last week :'( I was about to just give up, because I thought I was just stuck at this weight forever, and even though it was still 20 pounds less than it was, I still want more progress. Your advice and comments have given me the strength I need to keep going! I won't give up! <3:)
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,867 Member
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    First of all, you're at the top end of normal BMI. Your 1.5lbs a week loss cannot continue without ill effects. Not unless your TDEE is well over 3500 Cal a day.

    Secondly you started exercising more. Are you soar? you have water retention.

    Third there are numerous how to weigh yourself threads and discussions about water retention. You weighted yourself after work? Nothing good is going to come from that.

    Download happy scale, libra or start using trendweight.com or weightgrapher.

    You've done a great job so far and you're about to start **kittening** it because of impatience instead of taking pride in your accomplishments so far and using them to fuel **patience**.

    Your "quick" results have already taken place. Seriously. You get quick results when you have a LOT of available fat waiting to go away. NOT when you're into the normal weight range.

    Relax. Enjoy your accomplishments. Work steadily towards more and better goals! DON'T PUSH THINGS SO FAR that you then feel let down if things don't come out as you expect them to. The journey IS the purpose.
  • anniecate747
    anniecate747 Posts: 19 Member
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    Thank you PAV888! You are COMPLETELY right that I am not focusing on my success. I guess I get frustrated when I see those BMI sites and I see that I am in the right range, but it STILL says I am classified as "overweight" :( My goal is 140, but maybe I just need to make it 150. It is just hard because Throughout my teens, 20's and most of my 30's I have weighed around 130, so I just feel wierd and trapped in this body. I know that sounds crazy, and I should just be happy to have my health. You are right though, I just need to be patient and love myself as I am. I still think I have enough fat to lose for 1.5 lbs a week though. I am trying to read about TDEE but I don't really know if I understand. Also, what does "kittening" mean?? I LOVE that :D Do you mean I am making it a small matter? Thanks for all of your kind words and insights! <3:) Here are my cats when my Zelda Fitzgerald was "kittening" to her best pal, Lou Reed ;)l8rkersajaib.jpg
  • PixelPuff
    PixelPuff Posts: 901 Member
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    "Kitten" is the site's way of blocking curse words.
  • JMcGee2018
    JMcGee2018 Posts: 275 Member
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    anniecate747 wrote: »
    Thank you all SO MUCH! I was feeling SO down yesterday, but all of this has helped a lot <3 . I am a Massage Therapist, and I drink TONS of water (probably around 20 cups) throughout the day, and I had just gotten off work when I weighed myself. I should probably have just waited until this morning, but to be honest with you all, I was just super excited to see if I had lost since I did so well last week :'( I was about to just give up, because I thought I was just stuck at this weight forever, and even though it was still 20 pounds less than it was, I still want more progress. Your advice and comments have given me the strength I need to keep going! I won't give up! <3:)

    If you are drinking 20 cups of water a day, you are drinking about 10 pounds of water. Although I'm sure you go to the bathroom throughout the day and expel some of it, you doubtless still had some of those 10 pounds in your body when you weighed yourself, in addition to the weight of any food you ate throughout the day. You aren't gaining weight "for no reason," by weighing yourself at the end of the day, you are also weighing everything you consumed throughout the day.

    Weigh yourself right away in the morning after going to the bathroom to get your lowest weight of the day.

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